Mysterious Drones Hover Over Swedish Nuclear Facilities And Royal Palace Amid Russia Tensions

Two unidentified drones have been spotted over two nuclear power plants in Sweden last Friday, days after the country boosted military presence on Gotland Island to counter increasing Russian activity in the region.

Though Sweden’s National Operations Department opened an investigation into the incident, no suspects have been identified, reported The Drive. The authorities reportedly used helicopters to try and locate the alleged drone, but the efforts ended in vain.

Swedish Police said the drones were seen over two nuclear facilities over Forsmark and Oskarshamn. Though there were reports about a similar incursion in a third facility at Ringhals, there is no official confirmation. The facility at Forsmark is the biggest energy producer in the country.

Reports added that a large unidentified drone had flown over Stockholm Saturday, including over the royal palace.

According to Swedish TV station TV2, the unmanned device seen at Forsmark was "a larger model that can withstand wind as it blew hard in the area." A guard who first spotted the drone said it hovered over the facility before moving east towards the island of Gräsö.

Though the officials did not confirm the presence of a drone over the Ringhals nuclear power plant, footage reportedly filmed by a motorist shows a bright light in the sky over the plant.

This comes as Sweden boosted its military presence on the island of Gotland amid the recent deployment of Russian landing craft in the Baltic. An emergency contingency unit of Sweden’s armed forces arrived at the island, which lies 230 miles to the south of the nuclear facility at Forsmark.

Gotland is also just around 200 miles from Kaliningrad, which is the headquarters of Russia's Baltic Fleet. The strategic importance of the island prompted Sweden to install a ground-to-air missile defense system in 2019.

Russia’s deployment of troops along the Ukrainian border has triggered tensions with both Sweden and Finland. There is a fear in Sweden that the tension could spill over to neighboring countries.

"It is clear there is a risk. An attack against Sweden cannot be ruled out . . . It’s important to show we are not naive. Sweden will not be caught napping if something happens. It is important to send signals that we take this situation seriously," Swedish defense minister Peter Hultqvist was quoted by Financial Times.